Expert and advocate for iconic monarch butterfly has died

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Lincoln Brower, who was considered one of the foremost experts on the iconic monarch butterfly and a scientist who advocated for the declining species' protection, has died. He was 86. Linda Fink, his wife, confirmed Friday that Brower passed away Tuesday at home in Nelson County,...

2 rehabilitated sea turtles to join Tour de Turtles

MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — Two rescued sea turtles were released in the Florida Keys Friday to join a "race" tracking their long-distance migration. "Little Money," a 365-pound (166-kilogram) mature female green turtle, and "Coco," a 215-pound (98-kilogram) male loggerhead, were returned to the Atlantic Ocean...

AP Explains: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo remains hot topic

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Republican Congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico has introduced a bill aimed at giving Hispanic families stronger measures to review claims of lost lands under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo — the treaty that ended the U.S.-Mexican War. Meanwhile, New Mexico Attorney...

Shark attack confirmed in 1 of 2 bites off Fire Island

ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Officials have confirmed one of two children bitten in the leg off New York's Fire Island was bitten by a shark. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says a tooth fragment removed from a 13-year-old boy's leg is consistent with a shark's tooth, but it could not determine...

Oregon wheat farmers try to stop fire that's consuming crops

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Farmers rushed to save their livelihoods as a wildfire roared through vast Oregon wheat fields Thursday and crushed their hopes at the peak of what was expected to be one of the most bountiful harvests in years. Farmers used water tanks on the backs of pickup trucks and tractors to...

Trump aims to end automatic protections for some species

DENVER (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday proposed ending automatic protections for threatened animals and plants and limiting habitat safeguards meant to shield recovering species from harm. Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how...

In reversal, Pentagon now says it backs GOP measure on birds

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an abrupt reversal, the Pentagon said Thursday it supports a Republican proposal in a defense policy bill that would bar the Fish and Wildlife Service from using the Endangered Species Act to protect two chicken-like birds in the western half of the U.S. In an email to Congress, a top...

Flint water crisis prompts call for more federal oversight

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal watchdog is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its oversight of state drinking water systems nationally and respond more quickly to public health emergencies such as the lead-in-the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In a 74-page report released Thursday,...

Cops responding to 911 call find 4-foot gator in building

BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) — Police responding to a 911 hang-up call from an abandoned building in western New York found something they weren't expecting: a 4-foot-long (1.2-meter) alligator. WKBW-TV in Buffalo reports officers in the city of Batavia were checking out the inside of the building on Monday for...

Trump administration proposes limiting habitat protections for endangered species